According to a study published Thursday in Alzheimer’s and dementia, older adults who sleep once a day or more than an hour a day are 40% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who do not sleep daily or sleep less than an hour. : Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“We found that the correlation between excessive daytime sleepiness and dementia persisted even after adjusting the nighttime amount and quality of sleep,” said co-senior author Dr. Yu Leng, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, said in a statement.
The new study used data collected over a period of 14 years by the Rush Memory and Aging Project, which followed 1,400 people aged 74 to 88 (average 81 years old).
Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at the Center for Brain Health at Schmidt College of Atlantic University in Florida, says he thinks the general public does not know that Alzheimer’s is a brain disease. Medicine.
“Excessive sleep can be one of the many signs that a person may be on the path to cognitive decline, and prompts the treating physician to evaluate in person,” said Isaacson, who was not involved in the study.
The need for sleep increased
The quality and quantity of sleep decreases with age, often due to complications of chronic conditions such as pain or frequent bathroom breaks. Therefore, older people sleep more often than they did when they were younger.
For 14 days each year, participants in the current study wore a tracker that captures data about their movements; No movement for a long time from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. has been described as sleep.
Although it is possible for people to read or watch TV, we have developed a unique mechanism for defining sleep and distinguishing sleep from any other activity. Change, “Leng told CNN in an email.
“Further studies with verified devices to detect sleep and sedentary behavior are guaranteed,” Isaacson said. “But at the same time, sitting and not moving for long periods of time is a known risk factor for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Regardless of the cause, daytime sleepiness or excessive sleep raises my antenna, focusing on whether the person is at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline,” he said.
The study found that at 14 years of age, daily daytime sleepiness increased by an average of 11 minutes per year in adults who did not develop cognitive impairment. However, the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment doubled the total sleep time to 24 minutes per day. People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s have almost tripled their sleep time to an average of 68 minutes a day.
A “sharp increase” in sleep length and frequency over the years seems to be an important signal, Leng said.
“I think we do not have enough evidence to make conclusions about a causal relationship that caused cognitive aging, but too much daytime sleep may be a signal of an accelerated aging or cognitive aging process,” he said.
what to do?
Preferably, adults should restrict daytime sleep to 15 to 20 minutes before 3pm to avoid harming nighttime sleep and achieve the most restorative benefits from sleep, Leng said.
In addition, caregivers of the elderly and people with Alzheimer’s disease should pay more attention to daytime sleep behaviors and be alert to signs of excessive or excessive sleep, he said.
Significant increases in sleeping behavior should be discussed with a physician, Isaacson said.
“I think it’s never too late for someone to change their brain healthy lifestyle or focus more on their brain health,” Isaacson said. “Prioritizing sleep, focusing on the quality of sleep and talking to your doctor about sleep: these are all important things.”
“Friend of animals everywhere. Devoted analyst. Total alcohol scholar. Infuriatingly humble food trailblazer.”